preface:
In Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, Thompson was accidentally injured during the offense, and Thompson's return after that injury became the most anticipated thing for Warriors fans, and finally, after a long wait of 941 days, Thompson finally returned to the court again. For a while, the fans were overwhelmed by the good news of Thompson's return, and Thompson, who had just returned, showed amazing strength from the beginning, making fans feel like Thompson was not missing two seasons, but like taking a two-minute break off the field. But after a few games, the enthusiasm of the fans gradually faded, when the fans found that after Thompson's return, his feeling on the court was completely different from before, not only Thompson personally, but even the pattern of the league changed dramatically compared with Before Thompson was injured.
The alliance landscape has changed dramatically
Before Thompson returned, the Thunder's youngsters did not have a chance to take charge, Paul George and Westbrook were still the bosses of the Thunder, and now both brothers have come to Los Angeles, one teaming up with Leonard at the Clippers and the other with James on the Lakers. At that time, Paul was still in the Rockets, but no one could have imagined that he could lead the Suns to the Finals with Booker two seasons later, when Irving was still in Boston and Tatum, Jaylen Brown and other young players competing for the position of team boss, Durant was still playing for the Warriors, Harden was still the most important player on the Rockets, and now these three players met in the Nets by chance, forming a combination of the big three of the League.
And the most interesting thing is that before Thompson was injured, Morant had not yet entered the NBA, and the Grizzlies were still a fish-belly team as always, but after Thompson's return, the Grizzlies, who had successfully led the All-Star level, became the warriors' biggest obstacle, and The first loss of Thompson's return was brought by the Grizzlies. It can be said that before and after Thompson's return, the pattern of the league has undergone earth-shaking changes
The playing style is different after the return
After returning from a major injury, he thought that the Warriors would first let Thompson find the feeling of the game, but he did not expect that the Warriors would send Thompson to the front line as soon as they came up, so that he could make up for the team's shortcomings. Attentive fans will find that Thompson has changed a lot since his return and before he was injured, of course, this is not only About Thompson's style, but also his current position and role in the Warriors system.
In the impression of most fans, Thompson is a pitcher, but after his return, he began to play breakthroughs, and when a pitcher began to break through, it was nothing more than the needs of the team were different, and the need for difference meant that the players had to make changes. In the previous Warrior system, Thompson played more of a role of catching the ball after blocking and shooting, relying on excellent projection ability, Thompson easily attracted the opponent's defense and created opportunities for teammates. But Thompson has played more with the ball since his return, and there is a statistic that clearly proves this conclusion, with Thompson completing 7.5 breakouts so far this season, compared with 4.4 times in the 18th to 19th seasons before Thompson was injured. Of course, Thompson is not saying that he has not played the ball before, relying on his excellent passing ability and steady singles ability on the court, Thompson has been the Warriors' ball-holding strong point before Durant came, and after Durant came, in order to cater to Durant's style of play, Thompson was more of a no-ball.
Later Thompson was injured, Durant left, the Warriors' current system is the most lacking is the ball carrier, even with Curry this single invincible superstar, but the Warriors' average number of singles per game is rehearsing the league's bottom position, even if it is Russell, Oubre and other stars to join, but can not change the warriors really face the situation, so they are invariably abandoned by the Warriors, the system is incomplete, so the Warriors urgently need Thompson's return, So at the first moment of Thompson's return, fans can clearly feel that Thompson's playing style has changed a lot. Even Thompson himself said in an interview that he did step up his dribbling and singles training. And when fans watch the ball, they will find that except for the first game after Thompson's comeback, his teammates will feed him the ball, and in later games, it is obvious that Thompson's assists to receive teammates have become less. The first game may be because Thompson has just returned, and his teammates will deliberately feed Thompson more in order to make him feel like a game, and later games are the way the Warriors really want Thompson to play.
Although the Warriors' current level has reached the level of competition for the championship, it is not easy to win the championship. What the Warriors need more than Thompson is a player like Durant, which we can start from the case when the Warriors were overturned by the Cavaliers after leading 1-3. Today's Warriors do not lack pitchers, Curry, Poole's projection is enough to take on the Warriors' outside firepower, the Warriors' current most need is to let Thompson carry the ball to attack, so for the Warriors Thompson is Durant. But letting Thompson play with the ball will increase the anxiety of fans, after all, Thompson has just returned, and the singles with the ball will undoubtedly add to The Chance of Thompson's injury, which is unacceptable to Warriors fans, but also admire the Warriors' arrangement, since they dare to arrange it, then there is their reason.
summary:
Thompson's return is a good thing for fans, after all, they can see their favorite stars playing on the court again. It's hard for Thompson to be in the same form as he used to be after a career-wrenching injury, so we can't ask Thompson to do a lot on the court, and for the Warriors they just want Thompson to be able to get the team's assignments on the court well. Hopefully, Thompson will play better and better after his return and try to stay healthy, after all, health is the most luxurious thing for a player today.